Welcome back Brad Ausmus

With Brad Ausmus starting today’s game, he will surpass Al Lopez for seventh-place all-time on the games caught list in Major League history (1919) and is only a few games shy of catching Jim Sundberg (1927) for sixth place.

And for those who track such things, today’s game also is Ausmus’ 1952nd of his career, and he will pass Shawn Green for the all-time Jewish record for games played according to JewishMajorLeaguers.org, a not-for-profit organization that documents American Jews in America’s Game.

Brad has worked incredibly hard to come back much faster than most expected from his back surgery and hopefully he’ll play a big role in today’s game on FOX.

Howzit Going Everybody?
Well chalk one up against Torre after last nights Goof.
Enough to turn me against him.
Bad move last night, taking out Padilla.
We stood a much better chance of winning with him in there.
What the heck was he thinking?
GO DODGERS!!!!

OBF, of course there is no way of knowing what would have happened if Torre did leave Padilla in last night but the Dodgers were down 2-1 when the change was made and the final score was 6-1. So instead of a one run loss it was a 5 run loss.

Nice to see Anderson’s .186 in there today. Great vote of confidence and confidence booster to Paul.

Great articles on Ned too. In one he’s not doing anything (which is fine by me), in another he’s got all kinds of things in the works. In one he says he won’t trade the farm, in another he’s “more open” to trading prospects. Is it any wonder this team is in the state its in when you have Ned talking out of both sides of his mouth? What, is he running for office?

oldbrooklynfan ~ I was very tired last night fell asleep before the game started and missed the whole game. When I saw what happened in the eight I was glad I was sleeping. When you have a chance you can tell me what big goof Torre made?

Since we didn’t score any more runs than 1 it probably would’ve made a different but than again it probably should’ve been 1-1 and Padilla still in. I can see Torre getting a PH if the other 2 guys was on base but still I hate that he did it. That error that Dewitt had in the 1st don’t know what happen there? Handsight is always 50/50 but would hate to have Krod come in a 2-1 games. This year he’s having a tough season than last year but he always owned the Dodgers.

Shouldas and wouldas are fun to discuss but the final score is all that counts in the standings. Another example today of the team’s struggles in the first inning. They had three hits but only one run and it took an out to score that run.

Well have no fear your 3rd baseman Russ Mitchell is in triple A tearing it up. I heard Carlos was on a PC. Well no need to burn the bullpen last night.
July .357 21 84 19 30 4 0 7 14 9 12 0 0 .419 .655 1.074

TBW…Padilla had thrown 77 pitches, correct me if I’m wrong, anybody.
Santana might’ve continued if it weren’t for the 5 run lead but if Padilla would’ve pitched through the 8th there’s a good chance it would’ve still been 2-1, putting more pressure on the Mets’s pitching.
The Dodger offense is in a funk but you never know because it would’ve been a different game.

Torre will tell you that as a professional hitter and veteran, Casey Blake knows what he wants to do every time at bat.
.
There is a big difference however in knowing what you want to do and being able to do it.
.
Stick a fork in Blake, he’s done.

That’s the whole point Birk – only Ned comes up with crap like that. When you’re released by the Pittsburgh Pirates, you would think that’s pretty much the end of your career, but then there’s Ned waiting with the slop jar.

I was glad to come home to a Dodger win. I was up in Mariposa today helping one of my colleagues look through some teaching materials from one of our now retired teachers. Enchanted – I thought of you today living up there. Marilyn’s has corgis, and they were adorable. She has three (Lady Di, Queeny and Kingston). She has two Border Collies too, but they spent most of their time out with the horses. Since I was just consulting on what Jill should keep, I got to spend quality time with the three, and they were a lot of fun. Their expressions are priceless!! It would definitely be a dog I would look into getting if the occasion should arise again (not that I need any for the time being because I have my hands full with the two we have). Oh and just so you know, she has crazy neighbors too which entail similar 911 calls.

The kind of miracle that you’d find on 34th Street, the same number as Fernando Valenzuela’s jersey, believe it or not.

After what seemed like an eternity, Dodger fans can celebrate a victory almost as sweet as an October night of playoff baseball.

Yes, Virginia, Bill Plaschke has learned to write.

A nationwide city of blue-clad Angelinos celebrate the fact that Plaschke has chosen the topic of a McCourt sale of the Dodgers to use his newfound skill of journalistic Superman-ery.

In doing so, Plaschke has stood up to an ownership nearly as self-absorbed, narcissitic and attention-deficient as his usual writing style, and this time it paid off in cash-money boatloads of legal tender minted in the Bank of Hollywood Hope.

It now becomes difficult to spoof you, Mr. Plashcke, because, as you now write in paragraphs, I fear I will have to actually put effort into spoofing you, instead of the usual one-note monotony of the Plaschke brand of journalistic newspaper writing.

Especially when you’ve potentially provided the common sense argument that can likely shame the carpetbagging Boston yankees into potentiallly selling the team, likely saving some shreds of dignity for the fanbase of their storied franchise with credible potential.

Hats off to you, Mr. Plashcke.

Enjoy the rest of the season at your beloved Rat House of Angela Stadium.

You’ve earned it.

[Pill Blaschke is a figment of a blogger’s imagination. The imaginary Blaschke names Ron Burgandy, Bill Plaschke and Obvious Guy as his journalistic idols.]

Sixteen months ago, Kenley Jansen was a laser-beam throwing catcher for the Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic.

On Friday, he was promoted from Class AA Chattanooga to the majors, and all he?s being asked is to do is stabilize an overworked and under-performing Dodgers bullpen.

Jansen was a career .229 hitter in five minor-league seasons, prompting De Jon Watson, the Dodgers director of player development, to suggest a conversion to pitcher last year. Jansen initially resisted, admitting he was scared to switch positions, before agreeing to the switch in early July.

?They told me I had a God-gifted arm,? Jansen said. ?I had the size and leverage and arm. They thought I could do a lot of special stuff. I trusted them and believed in it, so I went with it.?

Jansen made his pitching debut July 31 last year for high-A Inland Empire, pitched a scoreless first inning in 10 pitches, and knew right away he would be fine. He struck out 19 in 11 2/3 innings, but walked 11, so the Dodgers re-started him in A-ball. At two levels this year, Jansen lowered the walks enough (4.6 per nine innings), increased the strikeouts (an absurd 15.6 per nine innings), limited opponents to a .184 average, and compiled a 1.60 ERA.

?This doesn?t happen all the time,? said general manager Ned Colletti, who?d discussed promoting Jansen with manager Joe Torre since late May.

Jansen will be thrown into the bullpen fire, especially with Ronald Belisario reportedly in a substance-abuse treatment center and George Sherrill?s season-long struggles. In fact, in his first day in the majors, Jansen was the possible closer because usual closer Jonathan Broxton was still recovering from food poisoning, and backup closer Hong-Chih Kuo pitched the day before.

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